Interference Helps to Equalize the Read Range and Reduce False Positives of Passive RFID Tags

Abstract

In various applications of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, a reader should reliably get the ID of the tags that are within a bounded proximity region, termed the interrogation zone. This gives rise to two types of errors: 1) false negative detections (FNDs), when tags within the intended interrogation zone cannot be read, and 2) false positive detections (FPDs), when tags outside the zone can be read. The detuning effect experienced from the object a tag is attached to exacerbates the occurrence of FND. Solving FNDs by increasing the reader power increases the probability of FPDs for tags outside the zone. Hence, the design of an interrogation zone poses a tradeoff between readability inside versus outside the desired zone. We present a novel method to reduce the probability of FNDs and FPDs and practically equalize the achievable range for tags experiencing detuning. We propose to impose intentional interference on the communication between reader and tag. The expected effects of the proposed method are evaluated using experimental measurements. The results are positive, showing a sharp edge of the interrogation zone and a strong equalization of the range of tuned and detuned tags. Hence, it is concluded that by imposing interference enables the design of well-defined interrogation zones for passive RFID systems.